Editor's note: Rochester mom Angela Youngblood chronicled her car-shopping adventure across Oakland and Macomb counties last year for a series we called Patch Drives. Patch readers went along as Youngblood test drove a Honda Odyssey, Ford Flex, MINI Cooper, Chevy Suburban, Dodge Journey and Chrysler Town & Country. Here is the long-awaited ending to her research and travels. Last spring, I was van shopping. I was searching for the right fit for our family. You all went along for the ride while I tried out different SUVs, minivans and even a MINI Cooper. Eight long months have passed and I …
Editor's note: This is the final installment in a two-month series. To read the full report, including all of Angela's car reviews, see our Patch Drives page. I began this car-shopping, test-driving experience as a total non-car person. I couldn’t even tell you the year, make or model of my current ride. To be honest, after two months of car talk, I still couldn’t tell you the year, make or model of my current ride. But I can tell you that this experience has taught me so much. It’s taught me that you can indeed relate a fear of getting older and a love for '80s hair bands to shopping for…
So I am starting to feel a little like Goldilocks. This car is too big. This car is too small. These leather seats are too soft. Okay, I never said that. It’s been a long road of testing, driving, braking, synching, car looping and more. All in search of the perfect car for my larger-than-average family of six. I’ve come a long way, baby, since my first test drive (a Ford Flex) so many weeks ago. I’ve been impressed with hands-free technology, reverse-sensing systems, those amazing leather seats and more. But this week I just might have driven THE one: a Chrysler Town & Country Touring-…
Editor's note: This is the latest in a series; Angela, a mom of four, is writing about her search for a replacement for her full-size van. So far she has driven a Ford Flex, a Honda Odyssey, a Chevy Suburban and a Dodge Journey. My 20th high school reunion is this August. Not to go all When Harry Met Sally on you, but I will be 40 ... someday. Except my someday is only a couple years away. I still expect to see my 28-year-old self when I look in the mirror. And if I’m totally being honest, some days it’s more like my 15-year-old self. Some days I get overwhelmed with all this aging. Not …
Editor's note: This is the latest in a series. Read all of the Patch Drives installments here. This car-shopping, test-driving experience is changing me. As I search for a replacement for my full-size van, I’m caring about things I never thought I would care about. I know things I never thought I would know about. I want for technology that I didn’t even know existed: Whatever car I end up choosing must sync with my iPhone, for starters. This week, when I walked into the dealership with (dare I say) a bit of confidence — or maybe it was cockiness — I declared “I’m here for the Patch Drives…
Editor's note: This is the latest in a series. Read all of the Patch Drives installments here. Here’s the thing: I thought I was ready to ditch the big ride. I thought I was looking for something more compact — well, as compact as you can get while loading four kids and all their stuff. I thought those things until I drove a loaded 2012 Chevy Suburban. Two days in the Suburban rekindled my passion for extra large cars (and big hair bands, too, courtesy of SiriusXM Radio). Here I go again on my own When I drove my giant custom van into the parking lot of Matthews-Hargreaves Chevrolet in …
Editor's note: This is the latest in a series. Read all of the Patch Drives installments here. Who says boring isn’t cool? OK, I said that, just a couple days ago. But after driving a Honda Odyssey I realized boring still isn’t cool, but smart is. And the Odyssey is a smart person’s car. Am I a Honda person? This week I headed over to Honda Bloomfield to test drive an Odyssey. Here’s the thing: I know a few Honda people. You probably know Honda people, too. People who swear there is nothing better than a Honda. People that are practical. People that are serious. People that read the …
Editor's note: This is the latest in a series. Read all of the Patch Drives installments here. I learned a few things with my first test drive: captain's chairs are important, my kids are kind of annoying in giant old vans as well as brand new shiny cars and I haven’t lost my inner rebel. Oh, and this: the Ford Flex is a pretty great ride. In my quest to research and shop for a new ride (and chronicle the adventure for Patch readers along the way), I took my first potential "next ride" for a test drive this week. Here's how it went. First date nerves I was and still am way out of my comfort …
Editor's note: This is the second in a series. I’m not really a car person. I feel like I just offended half of southeast Michigan with that statement. I know it’s not right. Living in Metro Detroit and confessing to being not really a car person ... it’s not right. That’s why this journey to find the right car for my family is a bit challenging. That’s why your help is greatly appreciated. Last week, I told my story in the kickoff to this new series on Patch. In Patch Drives: Help This Van-Driving Mama Find Her Next Ride, you heard all about the many reasons I need to break up with the full…
